Photo: Holcim Croatia
The Croatian government has granted strategic status to a carbon capture and storage project developed by cement producer Holcim Croatia. The project would create the first system of its kind in the country, paving the way for Croatia’s first decarbonized cement plant.
An agreement on preparing and implementing the strategic project was signed at the Ministry of Economy by Minister Ante Šušnjar and representatives of Holcim Croatia. The investor submitted the KOdeCO net zero project in line with Croatia’s law on strategic investment projects, according to the ministry.
Holcim Croatia was among 41 companies in the European Union selected to receive a total of EUR 3.6 billion in grants from the EU Innovation Fund in 2023 for green technology projects. The fund had received 239 applications.
Apart from Holcim’s subsidiary in Croatia, two other companies from the Balkans also received grants – Motor Oil Hellas and Titan Cement. The project in Croatia was estimated at EUR 237 million, and it received a EUR 117 million grant from the Innovation Fund.
Šušnjar: KOdeCO net zero confirms that the industry in Croatia can introduce advanced technologies that reduce emissions
Minister Šušnjar stressed that the project represents an important step forward for the domestic industry and the wider community.
“KOdeCO net zero confirms that the industry in Croatia can introduce advanced technologies that reduce emissions and make production processes more up-to-date and efficient. With this investment, we are strengthening competitiveness, contributing to environmental protection, and creating long-term economic benefits for the Istria County and Croatia,” he said.
According to Holcim Croatia CEO Dario Vrabec, KOdeCO net zero is acknowledged as the first and only major Croatian project co-financed by the Innovation Fund.
Vrabec: The goal is to implement the project in a short time
“I am proud that [the project’s] quality and importance for Croatia’s green transition have been recognized. Our goal is to implement it in a short period of time and pave the way for the first carbon-neutral cement plant in Croatia and the region, but also one of the first in the EU,” Vrabec underlined.
He believes that the strategic status will allow for a faster and more efficient implementation of all necessary steps.
The ministry recalled that the project aims to modernize industrial cement production by introducing technologies that enable the complete elimination of CO2 emissions. The plan envisages the construction of a facility for capturing, liquefying, temporarily storing, and transporting CO2, which represents one of the most advanced technological undertakings in the Croatian cement industry, the Ministry added.
The CO2 captured in Holcim’s plant in Koromačno is planned to be shipped to the first permanent offshore geological storage in the Mediterranean Sea. KOdeCO stands for Koromačno-decarbonization-ecology.
This year, Holcim Romania has also been awarded financing under the EU’s Innovation Fund.
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